"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." ~Sam Keen
Lisa Paul recommends... American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld In her bold third novel, the author presents a fictional portrait of First Lady Laura Bush, although she changes some important details. In a memoir told entirely in the first person, Alice Blackwell relays her unlikely ascent to the White House from her humble Wisconsin beginnings. She conveys in convincing, thoroughly riveting detail a life far more complicated than it appears on the surface—the moment she discovered that her beloved grandmother was a lesbian; a tragic, life-changing car accident she had as a teenager; the friendship she willingly sacrificed with her best friend when she started dating the good-humored, athletic Charlie Blackwell; and her uncomfortable initiation into the tight-knit, immensely wealthy Blackwell family, run with unflappable authority by its formidable matriarch. No one is more surprised than Alice when her hard-drinking, sports-team-owning husband morphs into a born-again Christian with political ambitions. Suddenly, Alice’s life is no longer her own as her every move is parsed for its political implications.
Jana Llewellyn recommends... Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi While Nafisi's memoir is from 2003, it's a timeless and timely piece about the power of fiction, education, and friendship. Nafisi writes poetically about her experiences teaching at two different universities in and around Tehran during a time of upheaval, as well as her decision to reject the veil and leave her profession. Combining literary analysis with personal anecdotes, this book is both a cautionary tale about the dangers of fundamentalism and a testament to literature as a dynamic force. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of how much our life experiences influence the way we read. It is unforgettable. (Knowledge of Nabokov's Lolita not required.)
Rob Wilman recommends... The Girl on the Fridge by Etgar Keret Here's a book of 46 stories for those of you who don't have hours to slather on the sunblock and lounge in the (soon-to-appear?) sun and hot weather. Keret writes snapshots: sometimes it's a paragraph; others, a page or two. No matter what, he'll give you a hit of fiction when you barely have time to sit on your buttocks. Be careful, though: some of the stories may kind of offend you. Here's what Amazon has to say about the collection:
"Advocates of flash fiction contend you can say a lot with a little. Unfortunately, you can also say a little with a little. Israeli writer Keret (The Nimrod Flipout) confirms both with this hodgepodge of 46 sketches, culled from his first collection. There are whimsical tales like Nothing, about a woman who loved a man who was made of nothing because this love would never betray her, and Freeze! about a guy who can stop the world and uses the power to score with hot girls. Despite an appealing, comic voice, many of these pieces feel insubstantial and leave the reader indifferent. Nevertheless, a haunting theme arises as stories featuring violence accumulate: Not Human Beings, in which an Israeli soldier is beaten by fellow officers when he objects to the cruel treatment of an old Arab man, screams in the face of bloodshed, whereas the irritation of the father in A Bet, when TV news reports on an Arab sentenced to death preempts an episode of Moonlighting, suggests how violence has been normalized. Keret demonstrates how the same short form that produces ineffective trifles can also create moments of startling power."
Sue Boland recommends... Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn According to the publisher's notes of the novel, "Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram, 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.' [A pangram is a sentence or phrase that includes all the letters of the alphabet.] Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island's Council, which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop. As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel. The result is both a hilarious and moving story of one girl's fight for freedom of expression, as well as a linguistic tour de force sure to delight word lovers everywhere."
Lori Cohen recommends... Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum Family secrets of Nazi Germany are at the core of this powerful first novel told in two narratives that alternate between New Heidelberg, Minnesota, in the present, and the small town of Weimar near Buchenwald during World War II. Trudy is a professor of German history in Minnesota, where she's teaching a seminar on women's roles in Nazi Germany and conducting interviews with Germans about how they're dealing with what they did during the war. But her mother, Anna, won't talk about it, not even to her own daughter. Trudy knows, she remembers, that Anna was mistress to a big Nazi camp officer. Why did she do it? Was he Trudy's father? The interviews are a plot contrivance to introduce a range of attitudes, from blatant racism to crippling survivor guilt. But the characters, then and now, are drawn with rare complexity, including a brave, gloomy, unlucky rescuer and a wheeler-dealer survivor. Anna's story is a gripping mystery in a page-turner that raises universal questions of shame, guilt, and personal responsibility.
Barbara Snyder recommends... Songs for the Butcher's Daughter: A Novel by Peter Manseau Summer, sweltering, 1996. A book warehouse in western Massachusetts. A man at the beginning of his adult life -- and the end of his career rope -- becomes involved with a woman, a language, and a great lie that will define his future. Most auspiciously of all, he runs across Itsik Malpesh, a ninetysomething Russian immigrant who claims to be the last Yiddish poet in America. When a set of accounting ledgers in which Malpesh has written his memoirs surfaces -- twenty-two volumes brimming with adventure, drama, deception, passion, and wit -- the young man is compelled to translate them, telling Malpesh's story as his own life unfolds, and bringing together two paths that coincide in shocking and unexpected ways.
Lynn Hindermyer recommends... Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin I'm going to borrow this quote from Tom Brokaw - "One of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson's dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is proof that one ordinary person ... can really change the world."
Kate Brenton recommends... Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult This book was given as a gift, and I, from time to time, like a lighter, well crafted read. So I endeavored on a plane ride, to pass the time with this book - I had no idea of the journey I was in for. If you read this book, you will certainly, as I did, think you have picked up the wrong book after the first few pages. This couldn't say what you think it says...and you are off through plot and paradigm twists that will leave you pondering your own actions and preconceptions. The write up on Picoult's page reads: Change Of Heart looks at the nature of organized religion and belief, and takes the reader behind the closely drawn curtains of America’s death penalty.
Randi Wall recommends... The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Sixteen-year-old Katniss poaches food for her widowed mother and little sister from the forest outside the legal perimeter of District 12, the poorest of the dozen districts constituting Panem, the North American dystopic state that has replaced the U.S. in the not-too-distant future. Her hunting and tracking skills serve her well when she is then cast into the nation's annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death where contestants must battle harsh terrain, artificially concocted weather conditions, and two teenaged contestants from each of Panem's districts. District 12's second "tribute" is Peeta, the baker's son, who has been in love with Katniss since he was five. Each new plot twist ratchets up the tension, moving the story forward and keeping the reader on edge. Populated by three-dimensional characters, this is a superb tale of physical adventure, political suspense, and romance.
Lynn Hindermyer recommends... Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives. For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship -- jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart ... and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test. Great beach read, but do not forget your hanky!
Leni Windle recommends... Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie I just finished it and loved it. Not too heavy and really delightful.
Randi Wall recommends... Madapple by Christina Meldrum A girl who has been brought up in near isolation is thrown into a twisted web of family secrets and religious fundamentalism when her mother dies and she goes to live with relatives she never knew she had. Plot summary does little justice to this haunting book, which is as much mysticism as it is story. Meldrum plunges deeply into the nature of reality. She uses language in a particularly arresting way, with the leaves and petals of the plants that are so much a part of Aslaug’s life shimmering over the pages. If all this wasn’t satisfaction enough, Meldrum, a litigator, mixes faith and science with a solid mystery, told in the transcripts of a trial in which Aslaug is the defendant. There is much to ponder in this enthralling achievement from a debut author.
Lisa Paul recommends... Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan Working in his garden one day, Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication.
Rick Topper recommends...
Every summer I try to read a presidential biography and a travel book (we usually don't get farther from home than Sea Isle). This year I'm reading William Least Heat Moon's Roads to Quoz (not a recommendation, haven't read it yet) and Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father (definitely a recommendation--check out the first page or so for some of the best American prose of the past decade). Picks from previous summers? Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, and Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Last (and probably least) is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Some immortal prose from the Austen / Grahame-Smith team:
"God have mercy on that wretched girl," said Mr. Collins, who had joined them.
"Can't we just be on our way?" asked Lydia. "There's no helping her now. Besides, think of how dirty our dresses will get if we have to fight in that awful ravine." As Jane expressed her shock at such a sentiment, and Kitty argued in favor of it, Elizabeth took the pipe from Mr. Collins' mouth, blew on the glowing tobacco, and threw it over the side.
"That was a gift from her ladyship!" he cried, loud enough to draw the attention of the zombies below. They looked up and let loose their terrible roars, which were cut short by a violent, fiery explosion as pipe and oil met. Suddenly engulfed, the zombies staggered about, flailing violently and screaming as they cooked. Jane raised her Brown Bess, but Elizabeth pushed the barrel aside.
"Let them burn," she said. "Let them have a taste of eternity."
Turning to her cousin, who had averted his eyes, she said, 'You see, Mr. Collins ... God has no mercy. And neither must we."
Though angered by her blasphemy, he thought better of saying anything on the matter, for he saw in Elizabeth's eyes a kind of darkness; a kind of absence--as if her soul had taken leave, so that compassion and warmth could not interfere.
Upon entering Meryton, after stopping at the McGregors to deliver the unhappy news, the eyes of the younger ones were immediately wandering up the street in quest of the officers, and nothing less than a very smart bonnet indeed, or the wail of the undead, could recall them.
Lisa Paul recommends...
American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld
Jana Llewellyn recommends...
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Rob Wilman recommends...
The Girl on the Fridge by Etgar Keret
"Advocates of flash fiction contend you can say a lot with a little. Unfortunately, you can also say a little with a little. Israeli writer Keret (The Nimrod Flipout) confirms both with this hodgepodge of 46 sketches, culled from his first collection. There are whimsical tales like Nothing, about a woman who loved a man who was made of nothing because this love would never betray her, and Freeze! about a guy who can stop the world and uses the power to score with hot girls. Despite an appealing, comic voice, many of these pieces feel insubstantial and leave the reader indifferent. Nevertheless, a haunting theme arises as stories featuring violence accumulate: Not Human Beings, in which an Israeli soldier is beaten by fellow officers when he objects to the cruel treatment of an old Arab man, screams in the face of bloodshed, whereas the irritation of the father in A Bet, when TV news reports on an Arab sentenced to death preempts an episode of Moonlighting, suggests how violence has been normalized. Keret demonstrates how the same short form that produces ineffective trifles can also create moments of startling power."
Sue Boland recommends...
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Lori Cohen recommends...
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Barbara Snyder recommends...
Songs for the Butcher's Daughter: A Novel by Peter Manseau
Lynn Hindermyer recommends...
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Kate Brenton recommends...
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Randi Wall recommends...
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Lynn Hindermyer recommends...
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Leni Windle recommends...
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Randi Wall recommends...
Madapple by Christina Meldrum
Lisa Paul recommends...
Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Rick Topper recommends...
Every summer I try to read a presidential biography and a travel book (we usually don't get farther from home than Sea Isle). This year I'm reading William Least Heat Moon's Roads to Quoz (not a recommendation, haven't read it yet) and Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father (definitely a recommendation--check out the first page or so for some of the best American prose of the past decade). Picks from previous summers? Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, and Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Last (and probably least) is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Some immortal prose from the Austen / Grahame-Smith team:
"Can't we just be on our way?" asked Lydia. "There's no helping her now. Besides, think of how dirty our dresses will get if we have to fight in that awful ravine." As Jane expressed her shock at such a sentiment, and Kitty argued in favor of it, Elizabeth took the pipe from Mr. Collins' mouth, blew on the glowing tobacco, and threw it over the side.
"That was a gift from her ladyship!" he cried, loud enough to draw the attention of the zombies below. They looked up and let loose their terrible roars, which were cut short by a violent, fiery explosion as pipe and oil met. Suddenly engulfed, the zombies staggered about, flailing violently and screaming as they cooked. Jane raised her Brown Bess, but Elizabeth pushed the barrel aside.
"Let them burn," she said. "Let them have a taste of eternity."
Turning to her cousin, who had averted his eyes, she said, 'You see, Mr. Collins ... God has no mercy. And neither must we."
Though angered by her blasphemy, he thought better of saying anything on the matter, for he saw in Elizabeth's eyes a kind of darkness; a kind of absence--as if her soul had taken leave, so that compassion and warmth could not interfere.
Upon entering Meryton, after stopping at the McGregors to deliver the unhappy news, the eyes of the younger ones were immediately wandering up the street in quest of the officers, and nothing less than a very smart bonnet indeed, or the wail of the undead, could recall them.